new battery

[nbertolan]

Im going to get a new battery for my boat. I don't have a trolling motor so why do I need a marine battery. All it would be used for is the engine, lights, a fish finder/depth finder, and maybe a radio

 

[nbertolan]

getting a new battery

Im going to get a new battery for my boat. I don't have a trolling motor so why do I need a marine battery. All it would be used for is the engine, lights, a fish finder/depth finder, and maybe a radio. Why can't I use a standard automotive battery?

 

[alldodge]

Im going to get a new battery for my boat. I don't have a trolling motor so why do I need a marine battery. All it would be used for is the engine, lights, a fish finder/depth finder, and maybe a radio. Why can't I use a standard automotive battery?

Marine batteries are designed to take vibrations better then a car battery. You can use a car battery and it would work, just don't know for how long, might last a long time might not. A car battery does not have threaded post, but this can be added to them.

 

[eavega]

Marine batteries are supposedly built to handle the shocks and bounces you experience on a boat. Automobiles don't normally take the pounding that boats do for long periods of time. You can use an automobile battery, but supposedly it won't last as long as a marine battery in a marine environment.

Rgds

Eric

 

[DaveG55]

As said, marine batteries are built a little differently to withstand the more harsh environment.
That said, lots of people use auto batteries with good results.
One thing to consider, marine batteries come with the threaded post along with a regular automotive post. If your wiring is set up, like mine is, for the threaded post you may not want to swap everything to the clamp on post.
I just bought a new Duracell Marine starting battery for $76 and Batteries+. We'll see how it does.

 

[stonyloam]

A marine starting battery would be best. The largest you can get. There are several marine battery physical size groups, 23, 27, 29, and 31. The larger the battery the more power and starting amps. See what size will fit. You can get a larger battery hold down for a few bucks. My boat came with a group 24, but I changed to a group 27. All that being said, a auto battery should be just fine.

 

[achris]

Marine batteries have the plates secured at the bottom as well as at the top, automotive batteries only secure the plates at the top. With the constant thumping and bumping a boat gives batteries, you want the marine ones...

Chris.......

 

[crashyoung]

Another factor to consider is, the marine battery is designed for deep cycle use.
What that means is, you can discharge the battery till it is nearly depleted, and
recharge it without damage. An automotive battery is not designed to do that.
An automotive battery provides a large current for a short time to start the motor,
then it is recharged when the motor starts. When you deep cycle an auto battery,
it sulfates the lead paste in the plates, then your large current capabillity goes down.